[Open Intro] a pirate's life for me

[captainkurusu]

I. In the Velvet Room

The sight of an Akira in a long black coat and a high-necked gray vest is no rarity around these parts, but the one currently studying the conspiracy board is different. He has gold earrings, for one thing, and his clothes have a different style: hand-sewn wool and linen, not the slick, modern leather of Metaverse garb. His casual, hands-in-pockets slouch as he studies the conspiracy board, however, should look familiar to almost anyone.

Well. Anyone who knows an Akiren, anyway.

At the sound of anyone approaching him, Captain Akira turns sharply, his right hand flying to the hilt of the cutlass hanging from his belt. Depending on who he sees, he’ll say one of the following things:

If the character approaching him is an Akiren, his eyes widen briefly in surprise. Then he puts his hands on his hips, studying his double with interest. “You look oddly familiar, somehow,” he quips. “I’m afraid I can’t place you, though.”

If the character approaching him is an Akechi, the choked syllable “Go–” escapes him before he can stop it. Then he cuts himself off, smiling in apology. “Excuse me. I mistook you for someone else.”

If the character approaching him is anyone else, he nods a polite greeting and points at the conspiracy board. “Did you write this?” he asks cheerfully. “ ‘For mine own part, it is Greek to me.’ ”

Whether the character he addresses recognizes the quote or not, Akira’s puzzled expression translates its meaning clearly: Hey. What the hell is this?

II. In Tokyo

Tokyo is the last place Akira ought to set foot in--so of course, it’s the first place he does. To his disappointment, the city beyond the door is all but unrecognizable, full of bright lights and strange buildings and marvels Akira can’t begin to puzzle out. Even so, a vague familiarity remains, an instinct leading him deeper and deeper into the urban sprawl.

Any character passing through Shibuya can find Akira just off of Center Street, standing outside the door to Untouchable with a bemused expression on his face. He runs a hand through his messy hair and sighs, turning to smile at whoever is watching him.

“This place has changed a great deal since I saw it last,” he jokes. “Then again, I was a bit preoccupied the last time I was here.”

Comments

[captainkurusu]

"I wouldn't know; I've only ever fired the real ones. It did take a fair amount of practice to be a good shot, and even more practice to be quick at reloading, which I imagine a toy gun wouldn't need." He taps a finger on the butt of his pistol. "But since I don't have one of these Personas, I should probably stick to the real thing."

[fogboundcrow]

"To be fair, a gun can do quite well against Shadows. Shirogane-san got a lot of use out of his, along with the clever application of tools and trickery." Granted, it's also a gun. Of course it'd be more effective than something like a baseball bat.

Though, come to think of it... Raven eyes the Inaba door. "Actually, the Shiroku Store in Inaba has quite a number of items with surprising use in cognitive spaces, including elemental damage, healing, and escaping from dungeons."

[captainkurusu]

Shirogane. There's another familiar name. If Akechi's version is anything like Akira's, it's no surprise that he and Akechi would get on well. "Tools and trickery are a good approach to most dangers, I find. Is there a list anywhere of these items and perhaps how they work? Not that I plan to rush into any danger; I just feel I ought to catch up with what everyone else knows. To understand what people are talking about, if nothing else."

[fogboundcrow]

Raven smacks his palm over his face. "...I really ought to make one." He heaves a slow, aggravated sigh. "Well, perhaps I can at least point out the more useful options, if you've time to spare."

[captainkurusu]

Akira gestures around at the Velvet Room and shrugs. "I don't have a way to leave here, and no one's given me a job to do. Right now, I have nothing but time."

[fogboundcrow]

"Well then. Allow me to be your guide to the Inaba shopping district." With a dramatic flourish, he turns to the fourth door over, opening it to a rather narrow strip of shops and a gas station.

They're all modest buildings, from the bookstore to the weapons shop with its iconic samurai armor. A tofu shop stands next door, followed by a small general store. As they exit the Velvet Room door, Raven waves the Captain toward that weapons shop to start.

[captainkurusu]

Akira allows himself to be guided, but he does have to stop and admire the armor before going in. There's an almost childlike excitement on his face as he looks it over, whistling through his front teeth. Then he remembers what he came for, and drags himself away.

"Now there's a sight you don't see up close every day," he says, as he enters the shop. "Is it an antique, or is that sort of armor still in use?"

[fogboundcrow]

"I believe it's styled after authentic armor, but a more modern creation." Raven still looks over the armor with a grin. It's polished to a shine, certainly well cared for. "Daidara-san creates for the love of the craft. Every piece of weapon and armor is a work of art in his eyes."

[captainkurusu]

Akira smiles. "The blacksmith I knew as a boy was much the same way. He did more trade in nails and horseshoes than weapons, but he insisted on perfection in everything he made."

And speaking of weapons...

Akira gives the interior of the shop an intrigued look-over.

[fogboundcrow]

There's quite a lot to choose from. Swords, shields, kunai and daggers, claw weapons, combat fans, and even shoes and boots span the shelves. Each item is finely crafted. Armor, such as breastplates and smaller accessories shine in the firelight cast by the forge behind the counter.

Raven follows along, curious to gauge Akira's reactions.

"They're strikingly similar to the real Daidara-san's work. I've gotten some decent results with the sabers, for instance."

[captainkurusu]

Akira selects a saber off the shelf and partially unsheathes it, examining the edge and temper with a knowledgeable eye. "You weren't exaggerating," he says, drawing it the rest of the way to admire the full length. "This is excellent craftsmanship. The steel quality is better than I'm used to, as well; I suppose that's to be expected, given two centuries of advancement in the art of smithing..."

He runs through an agile, controlled practice regimen of swings and jabs, careful to stop just short of hitting anything in the shop. For the first time since he entered the Velvet Room, he looks completely in his element.

[fogboundcrow]

Raven watches intently, unable to hide his smile. This is a pirate. A real pirate using a sword so gracefully. His inner child is screaming with excitement.

He, of course, needs to retain his composure. "You make it look so natural."

[captainkurusu]

Well, there's only one proper response to that kind of flattery. Akira takes a few more steps, checking his clearance, then launches himself off the counter into an athletic backflip. It's a useless trick in battle, but it rarely fails to impress.

"Practice," he says cheerfully. "Besides, it's easy to look good without an opponent. Fighting for your life is always a much less elegant beast."

[fogboundcrow]

Oh.

It's just like in an action movie. Such an effortless leap...

Raven's left speechless for a few seconds before words finally form. "Ah. Yes. I imagine real fights are less flashy and more visceral." That makes sense.

[captainkurusu]

"Much." Akira sheathes the sword with a flourish, as if to underscore the point. "Narukami--a man I used to sail with--told me that I could study strategy and fighting styles all I liked, but a fight has only one rule: don't die. The more I see of battle, the more I've come to agree."

[fogboundcrow]

Wait. Wait just a minute.

"Narukami, as in Yu Narukami?" That seems like a no-brainer, and yet... "You mean to tell me that there's a version of Yu who's a pirate."

[captainkurusu]

"That's the one," Akira confirms. "He's been a pirate longer than I have, though by how much, I'm not sure. Either way, he helped train me when I joined the crew. I used to say he'd mastered all the 'S'-es: swordplay, sailing, and shooting."

There's just the slightest hesitation before "shooting," as if it were a hasty substitution for something else.

"I can't say I was expecting you to know him; my Akechi hasn't met him yet. What is he like in your world? How is it that you two met?"

[fogboundcrow]

Raven's face crinkles for a moment. "Why do I get the feeling you meant to say sex rather than shooting?"

Well, whatever. He knows what sex is, and that's beside the point. Waving the subject off, he's more than willing to shift focus. "At any rate, we met when my then new guardian took him in for the year, thereby making him my sudden and, at the time, unwanted roommate."

Things changed, thankfully.

[captainkurusu]

The word he'd had in mind was more specific, but the kid isn't wrong. Akira tugs his bangs sheepishly and shrugs--as good as a confession, without dragging the subject out.

"You get along better now, I take it?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Yes. He can still be a ridiculous nuisance at points, but it's... tolerable now. If nothing else, it keeps me on my toes." There's a hint of something more, though. A soft longing for someone he hasn't seen in quite some time.

[captainkurusu]

"It's remarkable how stealthily a dedicated nuisance can grow on you," Akira says, amused. "I'm certain most of Captain Igor's crew saw me that way at first, Yu included. But I like to think I won most of them over before I left."

There's a wistful quality to his voice, too, as he talks about his old crew. No doubt he'll get an earful from them about his recent misadventures the next time they gather for Christmas Eve.

[fogboundcrow]

"So Igor-san's a pirate captain in your world? That's quite a departure from the version of him I know." Not specifically the version here. There are differences he's noticed over the last year.

Still, his voice remains light and curious, eyes focused. The surrounding weapons barely register by comparison.

[captainkurusu]

"So he is. Quite a successful one, too. I don't know how he got his start, but he's been captain of the Yaldabaoth for quite some time. He's no pushover--one can't be, not in our profession--but he treats his crew with far more respect and dignity than most purportedly lawful captains can claim." Akira plucks at his bangs again, his voice becoming more serious. "It was pure chance I ended up on his ship, really. Two of his officers found me passed out naked on a beach, and he took pity on me and let them bring me aboard. I still can't imagine how he saw potential in the sort of rash, trouble-making fool I was back then. But he saw something, and he convinced me to try to live up to whatever he saw. Even if he hadn't given me my ship, I'd still owe him a great debt, just for that."

[fogboundcrow]

"The Yaldabaoth." That's...

Of all the names, that's the name his ship has? Raven gawks at the prospect, simply dude to what he's learned by proxy. "The Yaldabaoth I'm familiar with is a false god disguised as a holy grail. ...Or, rather, I've heard about it through word of mouth."

Is it purely coincidence? An odd eccentricity of this pirate-themed world?